Reversible support means for shelving and the like



Apnl 10, 1962 A. F. BREGLIA 3,029,056

REVERSIBLE SUPPORT MEANS FOR SHELVING AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 27, 1960 FIG. I

INVENTOR? ARTHUR F. BREGLIA mm W's-6AA.

ATTORNEY United States Patent @fifice 3,029,056 Patented Apr. 10, 1962 3,029,056 REVERSIBLE SUPPORT MEANS FOR SHELVING AND THE LIKE Arthur F. Breglia, 303 E. 37th St., New York, N.Y. Filed Oct. 27, 1960, Ser. No. 65,493 4 Claims. (Cl. 248-243) The present invention relates to a new and novel reversible support means for shelving and the like, and more particularly to a shelf arrangement which permits the shelf to be mounted in any desired position upon a supporting surface.

The present invention relates especially to shelving arrangements of a modernisticdesign. In modern interior decorating it is desirable to provide shelving arrangements which permit the shelves to be disposed in various locations and relationships so as to provide a very flexible and decorative arrangement. Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an adjustable support means which provides what may be termed floating shelves which permits ready mounting of the shelves in various locations.

In order to provide a neat finished appearance to this type of arrangement, it is further desirable to provide a support means wherein the actual supporting structure which connects the shelving to a supporting wall or the like is completely concealed from the eye of an observer.

This type of shelving arrangement will ordinarily be mounted upon the wall of a room, and will be employed primarily as a decorative feature in the furnishings of the room. The apparatus of the present invention is consequently designed to have a very pleasing appearance, and as a commercial product the components will normally be formed of an attractive wood, such as walnut, which may be provided with a hand rubbed oil finish.

The reversible support means of the present invention includes a pair of support members having a supported member mounted therebetween. As disclosed herein, the supported member takes the form of a shelf, although it is contemplated that within the scope of the invention other wall units and items such as cabinets may also be supported in operative position by these support members.

When employing the support members with a shelf, for example, the body means of the support members is provided with an inner surface which faces toward the shelf member, such inner surface including an upper portion which may serve as a bookend. Also formed in the inner surface of each of the support members is a groove for supporting the supported member therein. Means is additionally provided for locking the end portions of the supported member within the grooves in the support members.

An important feature of the present invention is the fact that the support members are so constructed and arranged that they can be reversed in their position with respect to a supporting means mounted in a Wall or the like and also can be reversed with respect to the supported member such as a shelf. This arrangement has several advantages. Firstly, it permits the decorative appearance of the apparatus to be completely altered, thereby providing a highly versatile decorating arrangement. Secondly, it permits the position of the supported member to be varied with respect to the supporting means which may be secured in fixed position in a wall or the like. Furthermore, it permits the ends of various units to be interchanged with one another, thereby permitting a plurality of units to be interchanged at will.

The position of the support members may be reversed by removing the support members from one end of the supported member, turning them upside down and then connecting the support members with the opposite end of the supported member. This ready reversal is permitted due to a novel arrangement wherein a support plate connected with each support member is detachably secured to the support member such that its position may be reversed, thereby permitting the support member to be effectively supported upon a suitable support means in different positions of the support members.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel reversible support means for shelving and the like which permits a supported member to be supported in any desired position upon a supporting surface, and to completely conceal the supporting means which attaches the apparatus to the supporting surface.

Another object of the invention is the provision of reversible support means for shelving which permits the position of the shelving to be varied with respect to a supporting means fixed to a wall or the like and which permits the decorative appearance of the apparatus to be completely altered.

A further object of the present invention is to provide reversible support means for shelving and the like which is simple and inexpensive in construction, and yet which is sturdy in operation and modernistic and neat in appearance.

Other objects and many attendant advantages of the invention will become more apparent when considered in connection with the specification and accompanying drawing, wherein-- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention in a first operative position,

FIG. 2 is an end of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 illustrating the manner of attaching the apparatus to a wall or the like,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 in a different operative position,

FIG. 4 is an end view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 illustrating the manner of attachment to a wall or the like,

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 1 illustrating the manner of assembly thereof,

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the manner of assembly and disassembly of the support plate with respect to the support member,

FIG. 7 illustrates the support member with a support plate in an inverted position as compared to FIG. 5, and

FIG. 8 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the manner of assembly of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 employing the support member shown in FIG. 7.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the general assembly is illustrated in FIG. 1 wherein a supported member, in this case a shelf 10', is supported between the end support members 11 and 12 which may be suitably mounted upon a wall or the like as hereinafter described.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 5, the construction and mode of assembly of the support member 11 along with the shelf 10 will be more clearly understood. It will be understood that the support members 11 and 12 are of identical construction with the exception that one member is a mirror image of the other member such that the two members are adapted to be positioned at opposite ends of a supported member. As seen in FIG. 5, support member 11 includes a main body portion which is more or less flattened, the body means having a substantially flat lower surface 15 and a rounded upper surface 16 which tapers downwardly from the inner or rear surface 17 of the body means toward the front edge portion 18 of the body means.

The inner surface 17 of the body means is adapted to be positioned adjacent a supporting wall or similar structure while the front edge portion 18 of the body means wall or the like 60.

is spaced outwardly rom such supporting structure. The front edge portion 18 of the body means may also be rounded as is the upper edge 16 such that the rounded edges and tapered configuration of the body means provides a very pleasing and ornamental appearance.

The body means also includes a pair of opposite side surfaces, an outer side surface 2%) normally facing away from an associated supported member, and an inner side surface 21 facing inwardly toward the supported member and toward the opposite support member. A longitudinally extending groove 25 is provided in the lower portion of inner surface 21, groove 25 extending substantially parallel with the lower surface 15 of the body means and the groove extending completely from the inner surface 17 to the front edge 18 whereby the groove is open at both ends thereof through the front and rear surfaces of the body means.

It is evident that as seen in FIG. 5, the end portion 26 of the shelf 10 is adapted to be received within groove 25, the groove being so dimensioned as to snugly receive the end portion 26. A pair of openings 27 are formed through the body means from the outer side surface 20 and open into a central portion of the groove 25. A pair of similarly spaced openings 28 are provided in the end wall of end portion 26 of the shelf, and when the shelf is in operative position within the groove, openings 27 and 28 are aligned with one another. Screws 30 extend through aligned openings 27 and 28, the screws being wood screws in the case where the shelf 10 is formed of wood, the screws being threaded directly into the material of the shelf, preformed openings 28 being provided of a slightly less diameter than the threaded portion of screws 30.

Referring now to FIG. 6, it will be noted that inner surface 17 of support member 11 is provided with a recess 35 and that a pair of spaced shoulders 36 are provided which are, of course, recessed from the surface 17 and are in substantially the same plane. Each of shoulders 36 is provided with a preformed opening 37 within which suitable screws are adapted to be threaded as hereinafter described. A well portion 49 is recessed inwardly of shoulder portions 36 for receiving an attaching means which is secured to a fixed supporting portion such as a wall.

A support plate 45 which may be formed of suitable rigid material such as metal, is provided with a keyhole slot indicated by reference numeral 46 and including a rounded enlarged portion 47 and an elongated slot portion 48 in communication, with the enlarged portion 47 and having a smaller cross sectional dimension.

A pair of screws 50 are provided which extend through openings 51 in plate 46, the screws being received within openings 37 within the body means for securing the support plate in operative position.

Referring back again to FIG. 5, attaching means in the form of a screw 55 is provided, this screw having formed thereon suitable threads for firmly anchoring the screw in a supporting wall or the like, and the screw also having an enlarged head 56 formed thereon. The dimensions of screw 55 are such that the head portion 56 is adapted to be inserted through the enlarged portion 47 of the keyhole slot in the support plate, but the head 56 is of larger dimension than the width of the slot portion 48 of the keyhole slot, thereby preventing the support member from becoming detached from the screw 55 when the screw is within the elongated portion 48 of the keyhole slot.

The arrangement shown in 'FIG. is illustrated in its supporting position in FIG. 2, wherein it will be noted that the screw 55 has been threaded into a supporting Screw 55 is threaded into the wall to a point where the head 56 and a small portion of the body of the screw adjacent the head thereof are disposed outwardly of the surface 61 of the supporting wall 60. When the screw is in thisposition, support member 11 is mounted in place by inserting the head of the screw through the enlarged part of the keyhole slot in the support plate, and then allowing the support member to move downwardly thereby causing the screw to ride up within the elongated portion 48 of the keyhole slot in the support plate.

It is evident that when it is desired to mount the apparatus in the position shown in FIG. 1, the support members 11 and 12 may be first operatively associated with the end portions of the supported member 10 whereupon each of the end members 11 and 12 may be engaged with a pair of suitably spaced screws 55 which are mounted within a wall or similar supporting means. As seen in FIG. 2, when in such assembled position, the forward portion 10' of the shelf extends beyond the forward edge 13 of the support members, and the shelf is disposed below the level of the support means 55.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a modified position of the apparatus is disclosed wherein the position of the end members has been reversed. It will be seen that in this position, support member 12 has been moved to the oppos'te end of the shelf 10 and inverted while support member 11 has also been moved to the opposite end of the shelf 10 and likewise inverted in position. It is apparent that this reversal of the support members provides a completely different decorative effect since as seen in FIG. 1, the shelf seems to be supported in a hanging position by a support means extend'ng thereabove, while in FIG. 3 the shelf appears to be supported primarily by a bracket type means which is disposed below the shelf member. Of course, in FIG. 1 the inwardly facing side surfaces of the support members have a tapered configuration and may serve, for example, as bookends, while in FIG. 3 the support members form substantially bar'like abutments at the opposite ends of the shelf.

Considerng now the manner in which the components are reversed from the position shown in FIG. 1 to that shown in FIG. 3, it will be assumed that support member 11 is first detached from the associated end portion of the shelf as seen in FIG. 5, whereupon the support plate is removed from the support member 11 as seen in FIG. 6. The support plate 45 is then inverted and reassembled within the recess in member 11 as seen in FIG. 7. It is, of course, evident that the keyhole slot 46 as seen in FIG. 7 is in the reverse position to that seen in FIG. 6. After having reversed the position of the support plate, support member 11 is then inverted and posit'oned adjacent the opposite end portion 65 of the shelf member 10, as is illustrated in FIG. 8.

When the elements are in the relative position shown in FIG. 8, the support member 11 is then attached to the end portion 65 of the shelf by inserting the end portion of the shelf within the groove 25 and threading the screws 30 through the al'gned openings in the support member and the end portion of the shelf. The support member can then again be mounted in operative position upon a supporting screw 55 by inserting th screw within the keyhole slot in the plate. It will, of course, be understood that support member 12 is reversed in the same manner as is support member 11 when changing from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG. 3, or vice versa.

Ref rring to FIG. 4, the relative position of the components as seen in FIG. 3 is illustrated. Here again, it is noted that the outer portion 10' of shelf 10 extends beyond the outer edge 18 of support member 12, and that in this position, the supported member 10 is disposed above the level of the support screw 55.

It is apparent from the foregoing that there is provided a new and novel reversible support means for shelving and the like wherein the supported member can be supported in any desired position on a support'ng surface while the support means in the form of the supporting screws 55 and the support plates 45 are completely hidden from view. The unique arrangement of the present invention permits the support members to be reversed with respect to the supported member to completely alter the decorative appearance thereof and further this arrangement permits the elevat'on of the shelf or similar supported member to be readily adjusted with respect to any particular supporting means such as a screw 55 which may be disposed in a fixed position in a Wall or the like. it is apparent that the structural arrangement of the present invention is quite s'mple and inexpensive yet a very sturdy construction is obtained and th apparatus provides a modernistic and neat finished appearance.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without depart'ng from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them, and all changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or that form their functional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalcnts, are therefore intended to be embraced by those claims.

I claim:

1. Reversible support means for shelving and the like comprising a plurality of spaced support members for supporting a member thcrebetween, each of said support members comprising a body means having side surfaces, one of said side surfaces including support means for supporting a supported member, each body means defining an inner surface adapted to be positioned adjacent a supporting surface, said inner surface having a recessed portion formed therein, a support plate disposed within said recessed portion and detachably secured to said body means such that the position of the support plate may be reversed with respect to the body means, said support plate including means for engaging a supporting member for retaining the associated support member in operative supported position.

v 2. Reversible support means for shelving and the like comprising a pair of spaced support members, each of said support members comprising a flattened body means defininga pair of opposite side surfaces, the facing side surfaces of said support members each having an elongated groove formed therein for receiving a supported member therewithin, each of said body means having an inner surface adapted to be supported adjacent a supporting surface, each of said inner surfaces having a recess formed therein, a support plate disposed within each of said recesses and detachably secured to the associated body means such that the position of the support plate may be reversed with respect to the body means, and each support plate having a slot formed therein for receiving a support member to thereby operatively support each of the support members in a desired position.

3. Reversible support means for shelving and the like comprising a pair of spaced support members, each of said support members comprising a decorative sculptured body means including a pair of opposite side surfaces, one

6 of the side surfaces of each body means normally facing inwardly toward an associated supported member, each of said inwardly fac'ng side surfaces having an elongated groove formed therein, a supported member, the opposite end portions of said supported member being received within said grooves, means for positively locking the ends of said supported member within said grooves,

each of sad body means including an inner surface adapted to be positioned adjacent a supporting surface, each inner surface having a recess formed therein, a support plate mounted within said recess and having a keyhole slot formed therein, and means detachably securing said support plate to each associated body means such that the position of the support plate and the keyhole slot formed therein may be reversed with respect to the asso cfated body means whereby the support members may be inverted to completely alter the decorative appearance of the apparatus and to permit the position of the support plate with respect to the supported member to be varied.

4. A reversible support assembly adapted to be mounted at any location on a supporting surface and to completely conceal the supporting structure comprising a pair of spaced support members, each of said support members comprising a sculptured decorative body means including a pair of normally vertically disposed side surfaces, one of said side surfaces normally facing inwardly toward an associated supported member, said inwardly facing side surface having an elongate groove formed therein, a supported member, said supported member having opposite end portions disposed within said grooves, fastening means engaging the opposite ends of the supported member and locking the end portions of the supported member within the associated grooves, each of said body means including an inner surface adapted to be positioned adjacent a supporting surface, each of said inner surfaces having a recess formed therein, a support plate fitted within each recess, said support plate being substantially flush with said inner surface, each support plate having a keyhole slot formed therethrough for receiving a supporting member, and means detachably securing each support plate to the associated body means such that the position of the support plates may be re versed with respect to the body means thereby enabling the support members to be inverted with respect to the supported member thereby completely altering the decorative appearance of the structure and permitting the support members to be interchanged at opposit ends of the supported member and further permitting the position of the structure to be varied with respect to a support means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Bales Aug. 27, 1940 

